11
by TheOmegaMan
Summary: "Choosing this is choosing a life of solitude..."


**Chapter 1: When Pawns Become Kings **

"Let me tell you a story."

Lelouch had an affinity for telling 'didactic' tales while he landed the coup de grace on his enemies. He wanted them to understand their inferiority against the person they were playing. The one that they would never be privileged in knowing - Lelouch vi Britannia.

He knew, though, that the heavy-set man sitting across from him wanted nothing more than to tune out the melody that came before checkmate.

"A king who cannot secure victory has no business being a king at all."

But it didn't matter. He would continue on like he always did. He would make every move more agonizing than the last. The true punishment for those who dared to go against him. In the end money meant nothing. It always would.

"Take this as an ominous warning of things to come," he said. "You will never register as a blip on any of the royal family's radar. And if you continue underestimating those underneath you...and I say that with obvious belief you suffer from stark delusions...you will overreach. Your power and money will mean nothing. You will fall to the power of a single pawn."

The final piece moved into place. Four minutes and thirty-two seconds left on the clock. Lelouch's opponent remained, paralyzed in shock. Droplets of previously beading sweat fell to the checkered battlefield. Lelouch would wait. The moment was too priceless to rush it.

Finally stuttering, "Y-you...t-there's..."

The irony of playing such an oaf in a detailed and elaborate library made Lelouch tilt his head back in silent laughter. "If you're going to claim that I cheated, I suggest you waddle your way to Prince Clovis and resign right now. Save yourself the embarrassment of being known as the man who tried to hustle a schoolboy...and then failed."

Lelouch stood, adjusting his uniform back into pristine condition.

"Give me the ten thousand we agreed upon. Then I'll be on my way."

Gears were turning beneath that throbbing vein. Yet Lelouch knew the outcome. Britannians held too much pride to risk something as scandalous as this. Not to mention that the royal family detested those who openly preyed on people deemed weaker. The family needed to be seen as benevolent and good for mankind. Removal would be easier than a fair trial, and in the Holy Empire of Britannia removal could mean a plethora of things.

Lelouch heard a case snap shut before it was handed his way. With a final smile, he motioned goodbye and made his way to the atrium outside where Rivalz waited. They passed marble fountains and exotic plants on their way to estate's exteriors.

"I can't believe you won," Rivalz said, breaking the silence. "I thought for sure it was an impossible game to win."

"You always say that, and I always pull through."

Rivalz stopped, face slightly puckered, "Huh, I guess you do."

"Come on," Lelouch said, "Milly, will kill us if we're late to school."

They exited the manor and made their way to the Rivalz's motorbike. Lelouch slipped on his helmet and situated himself in the sidecar, propping his feet onto the dashboard. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, listening to the wind and the hum of the ignition.

As they veered onto the highway, Lelouch repeated the formulas for the advanced chemistry test they had second period. Gas laws were boring and repetitive much like the rest of the curriculum they tried shoveling his way. But it was a means to an end.

"Every time I try to ask her out, I tense up. I just can't do it. Lelouch, you've got to help me out."

"I'm not sure why you think I'm qualified to help you," Lelouch said, peeking at Rivalz with a half-lidded eye. "I'm not exactly a lady's man."

"That's not true...Shirley likes you."

"Maybe. But you don't see me pursuing her, do you?"

Women were distractions. Simple. And with his true ambition so far from reality, he needed as few of those as possible.

"I know, I know. But please. I'm begging you."

Lelouch sighed. If it weren't for Rivalz chauffeuring him between these gambles, there would be no reason to even consider it. But...Lelouch considered him a good friend. Unyielding loyalty had its usefulness. Not every piece on the board could be a bishop or knight.

"We can talk at lunch. Promise."

She motioned for everyone to stop. They needed the next part to run without a hitch. Scientists and their guards were everywhere. All protecting some sort of weapon that they were loading onto a truck. A truck that they were going to steal.

Only five of them went on this operation. Anymore would have drawn too much attention. Kallen smiled. They were moments away from killing some Britannians, taking away a powerful weapon, and using it against the shit of a nation that stripped Japan of its national and cultural identity. There could be no greater sin against the Land of The Rising Sun.

Once the scientists finished loading everything up, she gave the signal. Three went right into the back of the hangar, guns blazing. Distractions from what her and Nagata needed to do. They went left, creeping along the wall until they neared the truck. Kallen pulled the pin off of a smoke grenade and threw it into the center of the room. The hissing caused guards to turn, giving free shots to their exposed backs.

Nagata pulled open the driver-side door and pulled out the driver. Bang. Bang.

The sound gave Kallen an extra pop in her step. She jumped onto the ladder of the truck and aimed her leg into the hangar door's release mechanism. The chain went spinning, causing the metal door to fly open. Tires squealed against the concrete floor as they jolted forward. She took a couple of pot shots against anyone brave and foolish enough to pursue.

She opened up the hatch and dropped into the trailer. Even though Nagata would want her to be with him up in the cabin, she wanted to take a moment to look at the weapon. She had never seen anything like it. Tubes connected canisters to the main compartment, which looked kind of like an egg. She looked closer at the canisters. They were all filled with oxygen. Super powered bomb, maybe? Didn't matter until they got it back to their make-shift headquarters and examined it. If they made it that far...

Walking to the front of the truck, she took her place in the passenger seat.

"You think the others made it out, okay?" Nagata asked.

"They knew what they were getting into."

She crossed her arms and focused on the road. It wouldn't be long before what they had done would reach every policeman's radio. And if they were lucky, the royal knights would get involved. Then she could kill a few of the fucking bastards before walking away unscathed.

When the sirens started to flare up, she curled her lips.

"Time to shine, scrub," she said, sliding out of the chair and making her way to their beautiful, new toy - courtesy of Britannia.

The Knightmare frame had its problems. In the hands of an amateur pilot, it would get ripped to shreds by the current models being used by flavor-of-the-day knights. Not to mention some of the sturdier frames being produced for the higher ups in the Empire. She patted the steel leg. She was no ordinary pilot. That's what made her such a formidable opponent against Britannian trash. Do or die. And her reason for doing outweighed any thoughts she had about dying.

Situating herself in the cockpit, she radioed to the front. "Ready to break some faces?"

"Yeah, let's do...that."

The ramp slammed down, shooting up asphalt as Kallen went forward to meet the copters that were trailing the truck. Grapple hooks blasted out of the Knightmare's chest and caught one of the aircraft, bringing it down without any effort.

"You're going to need more than that," she muttered to herself.

One of the copters backed off and rose in altitude. The remaining two started to fire indiscriminately at her Knightmare. The bullets ricocheted off - they didn't have the punching power to rip through the hard exoskeleton. At least there weren't any civilians on the...

"Kallen, there's a scooter in front of me."

"Well move around it!"

Of course someone had to appear to prove her wrong. And did Nagata really need her to direct his every move? Didn't he see that she already had enough to deal with? The road was his job.

The copters released another round of gunfire - same results. Their counter-push felt weak and uninspired. Something felt wrong. Off. The ground started to quiver underneath the Knightmare moments before the entire area exploded with fire. It only shook the frame, but when she spun around, she faced against two Knightmares and no truck.

She froze. They took out their plan and part of the road...

They were going to pay. Barreling forward, she would use her close combat skills to her advantage. It didn't matter who the Knightmares belonged to. They could be Knights of The Round for all she cared.

Pulling back on the frame's right arm, she drove it forward and through the main gun of the first one her blow found. Every last fucker would pay.

Gasping for air, Lelouch found something solid to hold onto. His lungs were on fire, screaming for him to empty them of water. After hacking up the fluid, he did his best to orient himself. He needed to collect himself, make sense of what happened.

With only an overturned truck and a dead driver, he was alone, Rivalz nowhere in sight. That complicated things. He stood up, wading towards the source of all of this wonton destruction. Stepping onto the truck, Lelouch jarred the door open. The man fell into the murky water without any signs of movement. Enough blood coated the upholstery for Lelouch not to feel bad about checking for vital signs.

He needed a weapon to defend himself with. Britannians were sensitive people when it came to sensitive matters. Copters firing at vehicles in broad daylight would classify as such. He didn't want to get caught without a backup plan. With nothing in the cabin, Lelouch made his way to the secondary compartment. Oxygen canisters were littered against the truck's roof - the awkward angle of the jackknifed trailer made it arduous to traverse.

As he neared the gigantic, ovular container, Lelouch understood there were no weapons anywhere. This was a transport vehicle. He didn't know why it got targeted, but he figured the guesses were limited. Either rebels hijacked it in order to obtain whatever the container held, or the rebels had something dangerous that the government didn't want them having.

"Lelouch!"

Rivalz's voice caught him by surprised. "I'm in here," he called back.

Sounds of sloshing water and fiberglass moving followed. "What are you doing in here? We should go. The military's going to be here in any moment."

Lelouch ignored his friend. He wanted to quench his curiosity. Closing the gap, Lelouch ran his hand along the metal and knocked on the structure. Hollow.

"I'm glad you're okay," he said.

"Um...what are you doing? That could be dangerous."

"The simple answer? I want to know why we almost got killed."

Rivalz didn't have much of an argument after that. They had been so close to being obliterated. HIs disdain for Britannia surged through his veins at an all time high. This could be the chance he needed.

_Oxygen levels reaching critical levels. Releasing lock. _

That caused Lelouch to back up. As the ovular container made sounds of something similar to depressurization, he knew that if the contents contained a chemical or concussive weapon, the leaking gasoline and their current proximity spelled irrevocable doom. But he could only imagine his face when an unconscious woman rolled out. Of all the possibilities, he would have never conceived the reality. He stepped forward and stopped her momentum with the inside of his shoe.

"Woah..." Rivalz said.

Lelouch's hands started to shake.

This was the reason the Britannian Empire took out a road and almost got him killed? The empire who had the resources to take over Japan in a month didn't have the resources to settle this some other way? Any. Other. Way?

Of course not. This was the same empire who let his mother die. It ran underneath the iron-fist rule of incompetent pigs.

He glared at Rivalz, "We're taking her with us. Understood?"

His friend nodded in absolute compliance. Rivalz hoisted the woman onto his shoulders, and the two of them slithered through the truck before marching down the sewer tunnels.

Lelouch could hear rubber footsteps closing in on their mark. It wouldn't be long until knights and soldiers and anyone trying to brown-nose to Britiannan efforts combed through every part of the sewer's infrastructure. They just needed to find an exit - any exit. The green hair on the woman would draw attention, but it was nothing a simple hat couldn't fix.

"How aren't you freaking out?" Rivalz asked, which caused Lelouch to stop.

"Listen," he said. He needed to soothe his friend as much as humanly possible. "We're not traitors. But we aren't monsters either. Leaving a helpless woman to the whims of a bi-polar empire doesn't sound like the right thing to do."

"No...I agree, I just..."

"I promise. We'll get this all straightened out once we make it back to Ashford Academy," he said. "Plus, after all of this has blown over, you'll get to brag about how heroic you were to Milly. She's a sucker for a white knight."

Rivalz's following smile didn't inspire a lot of confidence, but it would have to do for the moment.


End file.
